comstock



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

H. COMSTOGK.. BRBEGH LOADING GUN.

N0. 409,017. PatentedAug. 13, 1889-.'

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. COMS'TOCK.

BRBEGH LOADING GU N.

No. 409,017. Patented Aug.. 13, 1889.

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N. PETERS Phclo-Lmmgmphnr, Washington. 51C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IIARRY COMSTOOK, OF FULTON, NEWT YORK, ASSIG-NOR TO Tl-IE HUNTER 85 COMSTOCK ARMS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BREEcH-LOADING GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,017, dated August 13, 1889.

Application iiled March 9, 1889. Serial No. 302,611. (No model.)`

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY CoMsToCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fulton, in the county of Oswego and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Breech-Iioading Guns, of which the following is a speeiiication.

My invention relates to that class of firearms having concealed hammers or strikers, and which are broken or opened at the breech to load and withdraw the empty shells, the cartridges being exploded by rebounding hammers or iring-pins operated by strikers. In the various guns of this type now in use, owing to the want of proper leverage and of a judicious application of power, much difli? culty has been experienced in opening the barrels, many opening with such resistance as to require the user to place the gun over the knee and expend considerable force in overcoming the power of the main spring or springs, which must be brought to full tension in order to insure discharge. A highly important feature in this class of mechanism is to reduce the friction of the parts to the minimum and to apply the leverage of the barrels to such advantage and in such manner that the operation of the top lever releasing the barrels will open the breech, withdraw the shells, and. cock the strikers without material exertion upon the part of the user. Moreover, in the various types of concealed-hammer guns heretofore in use, the large number of parts required in proportion to the small size of the frame renders it 'necessary that said parts shall be constructed upon so'small a scale and be so compactly arranged that they are necessarily Weak, and the great strain concentrated upon them renders it necessary that the operator shall exercise considerable care and caution in handling the piece to prevent fracture.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a concealed-hammer gun which is cocked by the mere weight of the barrels when they are thrown down to open the breech, and in which the part-s shall be so simple and so greatly reduced in number that they may be made of a size and strength sufficient to resist any strain that may be brought upon them. I f lso propose to provide simple and novel means for checking the lift of the breech, for actuating the cocking-levers from a point just behind the axis of the pivot-bolt on the frame, for avoiding friction between the cooking-levers and the tangs of the strik ers upon which the levers act and between the other parts employed, for locking the triggers when the piece is carried at cock, and for locking the top lever when the breech 6c is opened and releasing it at the proper moment automatically to lock the breech. I also propose to simplify and improveguns of this class and to render them more certain, efficient, and speedy in operation; and to these ends the invention consists in the several novel features of construction and new combinations of parts hereinafter fully set. forth, and then definitely pointed out in the claims which follow this specification.

Referring to the accompanying drawings", Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gun embodying my invention, with parts of the stock y omitted to more clearly exhibit the internal mechanism. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing 75 the barrels dropped to open the breech. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2. Fig. at is a sectional elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the breech portions of 8o the barrels removed from the frame. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the frame, the barrels being removed. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the frame inverted. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective of the locking-post and top lever detached. Fig. 9 85 is a detail perspective of the cooking-levers with the cocking-yoke and its spring. Fig. 10 is a vertical section of the cooking-yoke, showin g the shaft and the means for fastening the same in place in the yoke. Fig. 11 is' 9o a detail perspective of one of the strikers detached. Fig. 12 is a detail view of one of the strikers with its tripping-plate and spring. Fig. 13 is a detail perspective of one of the trigger-plates and its scar detached.

In the said drawings the reference-n umeral 1 desi gnatesvthe barrels of a shotgun or other fire-arm, while the numeral 2 denotes the frame. In the 'fore end of said frame is the pivot-bolt 3, making engagement with a half- 10c round seat L1, formed in the drop-plate 5 of the barrels, which drops between the side pieces of the centrally-divided frame, positive engagement being insured by the wear-plate 6, which Vseats upon the half-round fore end of the frame, which is struck upon a curve slightly eccentric to the aXis of the pivot-bolt 3. The wear-plate has an arm 7, of usual form, provided with a slot 8 to engage the drop-plate 9 on the barrels, the latter having a cross-slot 10 to receive the tie connecting the wooden stock to the barrels.

The forward portion of the frame 2 is centrally slotted as far as the breech-shoulder 12, and in this slot 2, just in rear of the piv0tbolt 3, is arranged a yoke-frame 13, having a pivotal bearing 14 in its upper end, while in the lower broadened end of the side pieces of the yoke are drilled openings which loosely receive a cross-shaft 15, parallel with the bearing 14 and extending through vertical slots 16 in the slotted frame. Upon these eX- tremities are formed pintles or reduced bearlings 17. This cross-shaft lies immediately above the flat lower connection of the yoke and is centrally flattened on one side, and in the space so formed a at steel spring 1S is placed, lying on the base of the yoke and between it and the shaft. This spring prevents longitudinal displacement of lthe shaft 15, but is readily removed, whereupon the shaft can be withdrawn without effort. One end of the -spring maybe detachably connected to the frame. The pivotal bearing 14 of the yoke catches a bearing upon a hook 19, formed on the drop-plate 5 of the barrels. It will be noticed that this hook-shaped seat is very near the center of pivotal movement of the barrels when the breech is opened.

Upon the pintles 17 are slipped the ends of the cooking-levers 20, consisting of flat steel strips drilled to receive the pintles and having their fulcrums upon screws 21, tapped into the sides of the frame. These levers eX- tend rearwardly from these points and curve slightly upward until their extremities lie beside tangs 22, projecting rearwardly from the strikers 23. The latter are com posed of quadrilateral blocks of metal having flattened shanks 24, in which are cut grooves in which the tangs 22 lie flush, curving outward to bring their ends close to the ends of the cocking-levers, on which are mounted studs 25', which lie upon the upper edges of the tangs 22, and are provided with circular heads 26, engaging the inner surfaces of the tangs 22 and preventing disengagement. A frictioncollar of hardened steel may surround each of said studs and roll upon the tang of thek striker. The strikers are pivoted upon a bolt or pin 27 and impelled by mainspring 28, of suitable construction.

In rear of the drop-plate 5 is formed a depending central lug 29, in the rear edge of which is cutthe locking-recess 30, and projecting centrally toward the rear from between the barrels is a lug 3l, having a locking-recess 32, the top of the lug being in the line of sight. In the breech-piece 33 is cut a groove 34, which receives the lug 3l, the heavier lug 29 dropping into the rearward end of the slot 2a of the frame. Lying partly in a central recess in the rear of the breechpiece 33 is a steel post 35, stepped in a bearing below and supported at its upper end in a bearing formed partly in the breech-piece v imparted to a strong spring 39, bent upon it- A self, one end bearing against a pin 40, dropped from the top piece, while the other end is caught by the end of a screw 41, projecting from the post. By the power of this spring the post is turned back after each operation of the top lever. The spring is rigidly connected to the top piece of the frame at the point where it is folded upon itself.

Projecting from the upper part of the post 35 is a locking-cam 42,1novingin a horizontal slot in the breech-piece, and when in normal position projecting into the central groove 34 of the breech-piece far enough to fully engage the locking-recess 32 in the central lug 3l. Upon the lower part of the post 35 is a much heavier and stronger locking-cam 43, which swings in a horizontal slot 44 in the frame, cut some distance below the top of the slotted portion of the latter and above the bottom oi the central slot 2, into lthe rear end of which the locking-cam projects far enough to fully engage the locking-recess 30 in the lug 29 when the latter is thrown into the slot 2 to close the breech. Lying in a seat formed in the rear end of the central groove 34-is a round stop-bolt 45, normally thrown 'upward by a spring 46. This bolt has a slot 47 running upon a rib in the bolt-seat to limit its upward movement. Normally this bolt, which lls t-he rear end of the groove 34, would lie in the path of the locking-cam 42 and prevent it from traversing the'end of said groove. Thus, as the top lever 37 is thrown to the right and the post 35 rotated, the end of the lockingcam 42, which normallyoverlies and holds the stop-bolt down, is Withdrawn from the groove 34 at the moment the top lever reaches its limit of movement. The bolt thus released rises in the groove 34 and lies in the path of the cam 42, holding it and the post 35 and top lever 37 against the tension of the spring 39.

As the barrels are thrown up to close the breech, however, and as the lug 31 thereonv enters the groove 34 it strikes the stop-bolt 45 and drives it down in its seat. The instant the top of the bolt passes below the lockingcam 42 the post is released and the cam flies against the tang of the lug 31 below the re- IOO IOS

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- engage.

The entire operation is, of course, practi- `cally instantaneous, and is substantially as follows: In charging the gun, which is handled in the usual manner, the top lever is thrown to the right, rotating the post 35 and withdrawing the locking-cams from their recesses. The breech being thus released, the barrels drop of their own weight, and as the lug 3l rises out of the groove 34 in the breechpiece it is closely followed by the stop-bolt 45, which retains the locking-cams in position to re-engage the recesses in the lugs on the barrels. The fall of the barrels lifts the yoke 13, raising with it the power ends of the cocking-levers, and by reason of the manner in which the power is applied and friction avoided the strikers are cocked by the weight and leverage of the barrels only, the very short space between the pivotal seat on the barrels and the hooked seat for the pivotal bearing of the yoke-frame giving an immense power to the cooking-levers. Then shells are introduced, the barrels are thrown up, lifting the cocking-levers off the taugs of the strikers. As the breech sinks to place, the lug 3l drives down the stop-bolt 45, releasing the lockingcam 42, which springs into the locking-recess 32, while the heavier locking-cam 43 enters the locking-recess 30 in thelug 29. The piece is now in condition to be discharged. Upon t-he central plate 4S of the frame is a pivoted cam-lever 49, which straddles said plate, its ends dropping below the point of pivotal attachment and having 'surfaces or curves 50, which overhang the upper edges of the tripping-plates 5l of the triggers. Connected to the lever 49 is a link-bar 52, the other end of which is pivot-ally connected to a plate 53, dropped through a slot 5% in the top piece of the frame and carried by a push-button 55, sliding on the top piece. Retracting this push-button throws the cam surfaces 50 against the edges of the tripping-plates 51 of the triggers and locks them, so that `no discharge is possible until they are released. Any suitable means for maintaining a proper degree of frictional contact between the pushbutton and its support to render accidental. displacement impossible may be employed.

I have not shown any shell-extracting devices in t-his application, as I may employ any pattern thereof most desirable. The ordinary parts, also, not specifically set forth herein, may be of any preferred form.

It will be noted that by making the cocking-levers of iiat steetplates I am able to obtain great strength and rigidity with very slight thickness of metal, as the entire strain upon these levers is in the direction of their width or greatest dimension. Practically, therefore, I obtain a lever stronger than one having a breadth and thickness each equal to half the breadth of my fiat levers. Ithus obtain levers of great strength without in any way increasing the lateral dimensions of the frame and its adjuncts or crowd ing the parts of the mechanism.

No screws are used in the connecting of the parts,this being all accomplished by pins of the iinest Stubbs steel wire.

By my invention I provide a compact, light, strong, and exceedingly simple gun at a low expense', in which the breech may be opened by simply tripping the top lever, without other exertion on the part of the operator. At the same time the shells are withdrawn and the concealed hammers or strikers cocked, the whole being accomplished by the weight of the barrels applied through an exceedingly simple system of levers so arranged that the gravity of the falling barrels is amply sufficient to accomplish these results, in view of the great reduction in friction and the direct and advantageous application of the power, due to the great simplicity and compact arrangement of the parts.

It will be seen, also, that the loop carrying the shaft to which the cooking-levers are counected operates as a check to the lift of the breech.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-n 1. In a concealed-hammer gun, the combination, with a slotted frame, of barrels pivoted thereon and provided with a lug, a loop or yoke engaging the lug and having a shaftv extending through slots in the frame, the pivoted cooking-levers connected with and operated by the shaft of the loop or yoke, and strikers arranged adjacent to the rear ends of the cooking-levers and cocked by the latter, substantially as described.

2. In a concealed-hammer gun, the combination, with a slotted frame, of pivoted barrels having a hooked lug, a loop or yoke arranged in the slotted frame engaging the hooked lug and having a shaft at its lower portion extending through slots in the frame, the pivoted cooking-levers pivoted on the frame and connected at their front ends with 4the shaft of the loop or yoke, and strikers y the rear ends of the cocking-levers to cock the strikers, substantially as described.

3. In a concealed-hannner gun, the combination, with a slotted frame and barrels pivoted thereon and having a lug, of a loop or yoke engaging the lug and having a shaft eX- tending through slots in the frame in rear of the barrel-pivots, the cooking-levers pivoted to the frame and having their front ends eonnected with the shaft of theloop or yoke and. their rear euds provided wit-h lateral studs, and strikers pivoted in the rear partof the frame an d having rearwardly-extending taugs on which the studs on the cooking-levers rest, substantially as described.

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4. In a concealed-hammer gun, the combination, with a slotted frame and barrels pivoted thereon and having a hook in rear of the barrel-pivot, of a loop or yoke arranged in the frame engaging the hook and having a shaft extending through slots in the frame, the strikers pivoted in the rear part of the frame and having rearward-projecting tangs, and cooking-levers pivoted tothe frame, connected at their front ends with the shaft of the loop or yoke, and having studs at their rear ends provided with circular heads overlapping the faces of the striker-tangs, substantially as described. l

5.- In a concealed-hammer gun, the combination, with a frame and barrels pivoted thereon and having a hook in rear of the barrel-pivot, of a loop or yoke engaging the hook and having a shaft, the strikers pivoted in the rear part of the frame and having rearward projecting tangs, and the cooking-levers composed of flat steel plates fulcruined on the opposite faces of the frame, connected With the shaft of the loop or yoke, and having studs at their rear ends provided with heads overlapping one side of the strikertangs, While the cooking-levers lie on the opposite side thereof, substantially as described.

6. In a hammerless gun, the combination, with a spring-actuated post journaled in the rear of the breech-piece and operated by the top lever, of barrels pivoted on the frame and provided with two central lugs, one projecting to the rear and having a locking-recess and the other depending from below and having `a similar locking-recess, and a stop-bolt lying in a seat in the rear end of a central groove in the bridge-piece and thrown upward by a spring, the post being provided with a locking-cam normally lying in the rear end of the groove in the breech-piece and having aheavier locking-cani norinally lying in the rear end of the central slot of the frame, whereby, upon closing the breech, the

rearwardly-projectin g lug on the pivoted barrels enters the central groove in the breechpiece, driving down the stop-bolt, releasing the lug pressing against it, and thereby enabling the spring-actuated post to throW both locking-cams into the locking-recesses of the respective lugs on the barrels as the breech sinks to place.

7. In a concealed-hammer gun, the combination, with a slotted frame and barrels pivoted thereon and provided in rear of the pivot With a lug, of a loop or yoke engaging the lug and having a flattened shaft extending through slots in the frame, a flat spring acting at one end upon the attened part of said shaft and detachably secured to the frame atits other end, cooking-levers fulcrumed on the frame and connected at their front ends With the shaft of the loop or yoke, and strikers pivoted in the rear part of the frame and having rearward-proj ectin g tan gs acted on by the rear ends of the cocking-levers, substantially as described. l

8. In a hammerless gun, the combination, with the tripping-plates of the triggers, of a cam-lever straddling and pivoted to a plate on the frame between the tripping-plates,

said levers having eccentric or cain surfaces overhanging the tripping-plates, and a pushbutton adjustable on the central top piece of the frame and having a drop-plate lying in 'a slot in the top piece and connected to the free end of the cam-lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signat-nre in presence of tWo Witnesses.

HARRY COMSTOCK.

' Witnesses:

JAMEs L. NoRRIs, JAMES A. RUTHERFORD. 

